Originally posted:

October 19, 2012

Trick Or Treat

"Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat."

Halloween is definitely one of my favorite nights of the year. It's actually my third favorite. I mean, you don't get presents on Halloween unlike Christmas and birthdays but you do get to dress up whoever you want to be. It's only one night a year that you can dress up as a slut, a pimp or... Let's just say you can get away with almost anything.

Even murder.

It's also one of my favorites because I get to trick people. Scare them out of their wits. Like my fourteen year old brother, Anthony, for example. Every year on Halloween, after I tell him the most scariest story, he sleeps with the lights on every night of the week.

What a scaredy cat!

"And from then on, room 420 had remained locked and no one dared to set foot inside that classroom ever since." I said eerily as I ended my story.

My brother leaned back in his chair as he gave me a massive eye roll. "That's a bunch of baloney."

"No, it's not." I said, standing up from the kitchen stool.

"Yes, it is. Room 420 was made into a storage room."

"Well, that's what they want us to think. In reality, they kept that little disfigured boy inside that room because he looked like a pumpkin."

He waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever. I still don't believe in that BV high legend."

I glared at him. "Wanna bet? There's a dare going on right now."

"What dare?"

"At exactly twelve midnight, some of the students of BV high will break inside the school campus and try to enter room 420."

He just looks at me like I was some kind of lunatic. "Uh, no thanks. I'll be better off trick or treating."

"Scared much?"

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are," I teased. "Just at look at your face right now. You're pale as a ghost."

Before he could retaliate, mom and dad came running down the stairs. Mom grabs her black satchel on the kitchen counter and inspects the contents before slipping it on the crook of her arm.

"Alright, kids. Go easy on the candy," dad grabbed his keys on the wall hook and opened the door to the garage.

"What are you wearing?" I stared at my mom in bewilderment. She was wearing a shiny red skin tight spandex with her lighted devil horns. "It looks too…" I shivered. "I don't know."

"Sexy?" She supplied.

I almost barfed in my mouth as she said the word. Mom hands me a piece of white paper. "That's Mrs. Lee's number. Just in case we don't answer our phones. Call us if there's an emergency." Mom kissed our foreheads and stepped out to the garage.

As soon as the garage door closed, I heard the doorbell ring. Right on schedule. I smiled and walked over to the door. My two best friends, Megumi and Blythe were both wearing their traditional Witch costumes just like what we planned.

"Hey, that's not fair," Blythe snapped as soon as she saw my costume. "You're wearing a sexy witch costume."

"So?" I crossed my arms.

Megumi sighed. "We all agreed to wear the same style. A long black dress, remember?"

I tapped my chin, pretending to think hard. "Hmm, no I can't remember. Sorry, girls. Looks like I have to be the odd one out."

"You just want to distract the boys with your long shapely legs." Said Blythe.

"Oh, hush. Come on, guys, let's go."

"Wait a minute, where do you think you're going?" My brother asked.

"Trick or treating."

"Not without me, you won't. Mom and dad said you're not allowed to leave me by myself. You can't go trick or treating!"

"Anthony, you're fourteen, for gosh sakes. You're old enough to wipe your own butt."

Blythe and Megumi giggled on the side. Anthony blushed.

"Fine." He grabbed the bowl of candy on the table as soon as he saw a crowd of kids come running up the front porch.

"Alright, who wants candy?" Anthony said in his most theatrical voice. All arms went up, saying 'me, me, me!'

I zipped up my black boots and smoothed out my dark purple colored lacy skirt before going out.

***

"Don't you think we're a little too old for trick or treating?" Megumi asked as we made our way up the steps of our neighbor's house. The eerie music of dead girls singing "Ring around the rosie" flowed through the bushes where peepers were placed.

"Nonsense. Everyone is free to do what they wish on Halloween."

Blythe and Megumi just stared at each other.

"What?" I rolled my eyes. "Come on, guys-it's Halloween! Have some fun!"

"Our idea of fun is going to high school Halloween parties, Christa." Blythe said as she pushed the doorbell. A Frankenstein peered through the door and gave a handful of candy on each bag.

I turned to Blythe. "You're such a spoilsport, you know that right?"

"Whatever." She waved her hand dismissively.

The houses at Belleview heights were all pretty. Except for Cobblestone Street. Almost Every house there had a spine chilling story to tell.

We stopped at an old wooden house. There was a skeleton sitting on a rocking chair at the front porch. There was a metal gate surrounding the whole house. The lawn was pretty much unkempt with weeds growing everywhere and vines had covered the walls of the wooden house. It also had an abandoned empty lot on the other side. Some people said there were bodies buried there, so it's basically a graveyard.

"This is where Mr. McGee lives," Meg whispered as we went through the metal gate. He used to be the Bloom family's gardener. But he suffered from a heart attack and he died."

"I know that story," I said, sucking on a lollipop. "But some people said Mr. McGee's step son kept his body in this house. According to some people, he did that because he didn't want to pay for the funeral."

"Shut up, that's not true," Meg hissed. "I know he was cremated."

Megumi scooted over next to me and the three of us stared at the skeleton sitting on the rocking chair. It had one of Mr. McGee's favorite clothes on.

"Do you think it's real?" Blythe asked. "Do you think this is the real skeleton of Mr. McGee?"

I shrugged. "Hmm, I don't know. But I wouldn't touch it if I were you."

"Oh my gosh, Christa, there's a spider on your arm!" Blythe screeched. I quickly swiped it away with my hand. Luckily, the spider survived and scuttled away to the nearest bush.

We pushed the doorbell again but nobody answered the door so we went on to the next house. Their yard was filled with grave breakers and heavy fog created by a fog machine. A tall figure wearing a ski mask was standing at the steps. A witch was waiting to give out candy at the front door. After collecting our candy, the large figure that was standing on the yard started his leaf blower, making a loud ear splitting noise.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I don't know why but Meg started to scream her lungs out. Blythe and I were just laughing at her. She was the only who gets easily frightened by the simplest things.

"Geez, Meg—it’s only a leaf blower! It's not a chainsaw!"

Meg shoved me to the side but I still laughed my ass off. You should've seen her face. It was priceless.

We continued our way to the next house. A kid wearing a white blanket with holes hopped down from the steps. Wow, how original. There was a sign placed on the door with black bold letters saying, "Went trick or treating. Help yourself with some candy."

"Sweet." I smiled.

We looked down. There was a large ceramic pumpkin bowl in front of the door. We all picked the best candies, leaving all the crappy ones behind. We're meanies, I know.

"Hey," Meg nudged me as she pointed to the next house behind the one we just went to. "Isn't this Jack Warner's house?"

We all stared at the large house in front of us. There weren't any Halloween decorations but the porch light was on. Jack Warner was the cute shy guy of Bonita Vista. He was a complete loner and a total nerd. Also Considered as BV high's social outcast.

Blythe walked up to the front door. "The light's on. That means someone's home." She motioned for us to come over.

"Remember how he used to send you flowers all the time? Meg giggled. "He was the sweetest thing ever."

"Yeah, he was." I smiled at the memory of Jack staring at me every day during lunch time at the school cafeteria. He would place hand picked flowers like Dandelions on my locker door and I would catch him watching me during band practice at the field. I saw another spider crawling up the glass window.

Blythe pushed the doorbell again. "I don't think anyone's home. Let's go."

"Didn't Jack Warner move out of Bonita?" I asked.

Meg pursed her lips. "No, I don't think so. Some said he went back to being home schooled."

I stared back at Jack's old house. "Really? But it's been years since we last saw him. I mean, he lives in our neighborhood but we never see him at all."

"Maybe he turned into a vampire," Blythe joked. "That explains it. He only comes out at night that's why we don't see him during the day."

I pushed the doorbell at the next house. There was a bloody bride hanging on the ceiling and there was a real life mannequin with stab wounds sitting on the ground. I shuddered on how real it actually looked.

So far we've only covered a few blocks and our bags were already getting heavier by the minute. A black truck slowly rolls by with a bunch of screaming teenagers. All of a sudden Blythe got hit by a plastic balloon filled with red liquid.

"Ow!"

"You're welcome, bloody Mary!" One of the guys shouted from the back of the truck.

"Fuck you, Clyde!" She gave him a one finger salute then the truck roared by. "That little Weener. I swear, he's gonna get it someday."

"What can you expect? He's already an ass ever since the day he was born."

I dipped a finger on the thick red liquid on her arm and gave it a taste. "Tomato sauce. Lucky you, it's not blood."

Meg and I laughed at the same time.

A guy who was wearing a long black hood suddenly bumped into me and my bag of candies fell to the ground. He crouched down to help me pick them up.

"Sorry," he said in a low voice. "Didn't mean to bump into you like that."

His voice was really familiar. So as soon as our eyes met, my heart began to flutter. I wanted to throw myself in his arms and kiss him like there's no tomorrow. It was one secret I've kept to myself after all these years. No one really knows how much I liked Jack.

Even Blythe and Meg were completely clueless about it.

"Jack?" I squeaked. "Oh my gosh, it's really you!"

He smiled and slipped off the hood from his head. He had messy dark brown hair with eyes as black as night. I used to question his eyes whether it was contacts or not. Nobody really knew. That was one thing I liked about Jack. He's quite a mystery to me. I mean, he's BV high's school nerd. He rarely talks to people and he spends every minute of his time burying his nose in every book in the library.

Blythe and Meg, just stood there unable to say anything.

Then I remembered there was a small coffee shop located at the small shopping center by Belleview heights, so a light bulb flashed above my head.

"Hey, guys. Is it okay if I have a little talk with Jack? I mean, it'll only take a second, I promise." I said excitedly. It's almost as if I grew myself a pair of wings and I'm about to fly on my own.

Blythe grinned and slipped her arm around Meg's. "Sure thing. While you two are catching up, we have a Halloween bash to go to."

"Ta-ta, dahlings!" Meg crooned.

After they disappeared around the corner, I turned to Jack.

"So, coffee?"

He gave a light chuckle and scratched behind his ear.

"Why, Miss Banks, are you asking me out on a date?"

"I, uh... Wait a minute, I think that only applies to guys."

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. It only means one thing. You asking me is definitely in the 'like' category."

My jaw dropped in amazement.

Who knew Jackie boy was this cocky?

Did something happen to him while he was away? Did he get into some secret Camp-become-a-hottie? It's like he was transformed into this whole new guy. I'm not even sure if he's the same person.

We ordered coffee and slipped into a booth behind a glass window. A lot of customers were wearing their costumes, probably finished trick or treating or maybe they're on their way to a Halloween event happening downtown.

"Are you going?"

"Huh?" My eyes flitted back to him.

"You know, the Screamtastic Halloween bash? Downtown?"

"Oh, yeah," I glanced at the wall clock. Shit. It's almost nine. My parents would be coming home soon. They'll flip if they ever find out I went out and left Anthony all by himself. I'll surely be grounded for life. "I mean-no, I can't. I have to get back to my little brother. He's... home alone."

"Well, I'll walk you home then."

So about thirty minutes later, we were now standing in front of my house. I can see Anthony's bedroom light still on. Poor kid, he had to stay home because of me. Any minute now, my parents would be coming home.

I looked up at Jack and smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," He lifted his right hand and pressed it softly onto my face. The leather glove was pretty warm. "May I?"

He's about to kiss me. I can't believe Jack Warner is about to kiss me! Butterflies suddenly swirled around my stomach.

"Jack." I whispered, looking into his eyes. Those two shiny dark orbs staring down at me. It feels as if they were two black holes pulling you in and you could easily get lost in them.

It didn't take long before his warm lips crushed on to mine and everything felt like a dream after that. We stayed in that position for god knows how long. The time seemed to stop, just for us and we were the only ones moving, swaying to the faint music that was playing nearby.

"I've always loved you, Christa Banks." He murmured softly in my ear as his fingers weaved through my hair.

"I've always loved you, too, Jack Warner." And everything faded after that.

The next thing you know, I was already in bed all freshened up, wearing my light pink pajamas. I was staring up at the ceiling, just thinking about Jack. I was right about him moving away. I am so glad he moved back to Bonita. Now that he's back, maybe we could continue what we had started years ago.

I was smiling like an idiot while I dialed Blythe and Megumi for a three way call.

"So you guys kissed?!" Blythe gasped. Meg started giggling on the other line. I rolled over, facing up the ceiling.

"His kiss was just amazing!"

I sighed as my fingers touched my lips. My heart was still fluttering like crazy just the thought of that sweet, soft kiss we shared earlier. I wasn't about to fall asleep anytime soon. In fact, I might be up all night until the wee hours of the morning just thinking about Jack and his wonderful knee trembling kiss.

"So, I guess you've finally gotten yourself a boyfriend?" Meg asked.

I started giggling. Boyfriend. The word just gives me the chills. Who knew that me, little Miss picky, would actually have a boyfriend before senior year was over? I kept telling myself I wasn't ready to date anyone yet, even though hundreds of guys surrounded me, I never gave in. Because deep inside, I knew. I knew Jack Warner was the only one for me.

Suddenly, something black moved from my bedside table.

"Oh, shit!"

"What is it?" Blythe and Meg said in unison.

"There's a freakin' spider on my bedside table." They both laughed.

"Oh, come on, it's only a spider," Blythe snorted. "They're more afraid of humans, you know that, right? You're bigger than them."

"This is like the third spider I saw today." I mumbled, staring at the spider that was slowly making its way up the wall.

"You know, some say that when you see a spider on Halloween, it's actually a loved one who's looking out after you."

"Wow, that's... nice." I snickered and rolled my eyes at Meg's little tidbit.

"What? You don't believe me?"

I stared at my phone for a second before bringing it back to my ears. "Sorry, I don't. That's just ridiculous."

"Suit yourself." Meg said.

***

The next morning, I gathered up the courage to visit Jack Warner's house. The paint on the door was a bit chipped off and I just realized how the whole house really looked a bit run down. I pressed the doorbell. A few minutes later, a middle aged woman peered through the door crack. As soon as she saw me she opened the door and let herself out. I don't recognize her at all. Was she Jack's mom? I can't remember. She doesn't seem to have any of Jack's features.

Crap, did I even go to the right house?

"Can I help you?"

"I—I’m here to talk to Jack. If that's okay?"

The woman looked at me in a puzzled way. "Jack? You mean Jack Warner?"

"Yes, Jack Warner. Uh, he lives here, right?"

"Oh no, he doesn't live here anymore." She shook her head and quickly went back inside without even saying anything. What does she mean by Jack not living there anymore? My skin erupted in goose pimples. Shortly, the woman came back out and handed me a small black leather bound journal.

"You're Christa Banks, right?" I nodded.

The journal was thick and heavy. For a second, I thought it contained pages made of gold.

"I—I think he wants you to have that," she said nervously. I looked at her. "I knew one day you'll come along. He wants to make sure that you get this journal."

I quickly opened it. It was pages and pages of recorded thoughts, random pictures of me laughing and smiling. I flipped through a hundred pages that were mostly about me. Letters that he wanted to send to me but never had the courage to do so. Everything was kept hidden in that journal. And now, I know everything.

I turned to the last page. There was a big drawing of a heart and inside were the names Jack and Christa forever.

"I don't get it," I muttered under my breath. "I just saw him last night. We talked and had coffee together. He even walked me home. He even... Kissed me."

The woman's eyes were now brimmed with tears, but she was still smiling.

"Honey, he died two years ago from heart failure."

My knees wanted to collapse underneath me as soon as the words came out of her mouth. Jack was already dead. I kept repeating the words inside my head. Jack was already dead.

I didn't know if I wanted to cry, scream or laugh?

As I walked away from the old house, I suddenly remembered the spiders I saw last night. Then it dawned on me that maybe whatever my friend Megumi said last night was true after all.

Jack was sending me a message that after all these times, he was always there for me, watching over me.

A/N:

I was randomly searching for some Halloween pictures on weheartit when I stumbled upon a quote about Spiders being the souls of loved ones who visits you on Halloween. That's where it sparked the idea of a short story. :) The girls here go to Bonita Vista High School and are Owen and Klara's batchmates. Thank you all for reading!!!!

xoxo Katie